During my live classes I explain the Keyword Tool in depth and very few, if any agents know what the match types mean on the left hand side of the screen.  These checkbox’s will provide vastly different results depending on which ones are marked.  The subject matter of your search will dictate which options you should choose.  During the video below we will also explore Google Insights for a minute and as well as a bonus site that has nothing to do with the Keyword Tool or Insights, but I found it while searching for something related to this article, so I figured I would throw it in.  It’s a neat little program that can take you back in time and show you what websites looked like a years ago!  Not sure if the last program can help your business in any way, but it’s sure fun to use!

They made a huge change in the way they rank content yesterday.  According to Mashable 35% of all searches will be affected by this shift.  Fresh content is carrying more weight than ever!  Find out how to leverage this change by checking out the video below.  Aren’t you glad you are a blogger?????

So… Google Calendars Set, I went on a journey of discovery to figure out how I could get my Google Calendars (all of them) to sync with my iPhone, iPad, and MacBook Pro, all with out the help of anything like MobileMe. (I am not a huge MobileMe fan but thats a blog post for a different day)

Step One: Relieving all of your devices of their native calendars.  In order to have everything play nicely together you must pick one platform…Google Calendars it is.  I am a huge fan of Google’s calendar capabilities anyway so this wasn’t too big of a jump for me.  Once you make sure all of your data is migrated onto a Google Calendar (herein referred to as gCal) you are ready to start.  (Note: it is much easier to create several calendars for types of events rather than trying to squeeze everything onto one)

Step Two: Go into the Mail, Contacts, and Calendars settings on your mobile devices.  Make sure to turn off other calendars if you plan to use a gCal for everything. Once that is complete, delete your gmail account from your phone and iPad.  (I know this sounds scary, but dont worry, everything is backed up online)

Step Three: Go to m.google.com/sync on your computer and follow the directions on setting up Gmail using Google Sync. This may take some time, however the directions are super easy to follow. Essentially, you are creating an exchange account for Gmail.   (Hint: When setting up the Google Sync your phone and iPad will more than likely name this account Exchange. If you are super picky how things appear on your phone like I am, make sure to change this to Gmail.)

Step Four: Go to m.google.com/sync on your mobile device. You will be prompted to login using your Google sign in.  From here select the device you are working on.  You will be presented with a list of all of the calendars you own and have access to in your gCal account. Simply select the ones you would like to work with on your device, and just like magic they will appear.

Step Five: Open iCal.  Go to preference and delete your previous gmail account and set up a new gCal using CalDav. Once you have the account set up, click the third tab in the preferences named “Delegation”.  If you have this account properly set up you will see all of the available calendars. Select all of the gCal’s you would like to manage and have synced with your other mobile devices.

COMPLETE!

Make sure to run a few tests and check when adding new calendar entries that they update across all of your devices.  The easiest way to do this is to create a new event in iCal, check and amend it on your iPhone, and finally delete it on your iPad.  Then log in to your gCal online and make sure its gone.  Make sure to check the update/sync times on your devices.  I originally thought I had messed up, however I had the auto-refresh times set to long and as such didn’t get the updates immediately.  This is easily changed in the preferences.

Finally: Enjoy knowing when and where you need to be.  No matter what device you happen to be in front of, you can schedule your time away and know you will have total access when ever and where ever.

Guest Post by Greg Grospitch @greggrospitch.

Note: I originally wrote this post for my other blog, but I wanted to repost on TSA. I hope it makes your life a little bit easier!

There is a swell brewing which will turn into a massive wave of “hypersocial” marketing for real estate agents.

What’s the definition of hypersocial you ask?  There isn’t a real definition for the term yet, at least not in Google’s eyes as I ran several searches to no avail, so I will give you my version.  This term came to my attention while spending time with Ernie Graham, founder of Social Bios, at Inman’s Real Estate Connect conference in San Francisco.  We were discussing his service, as well as Trulia’s new offering and were comparing the two, citing differences in execution.  We started exploring the term hypersocial and this is what came out of the conversation.

Hypersocial - Content that is pertinent and specifically directed/tailored to a subset (aka social circles) of a person’s social graph.  The most hypersocial of content is directed at just one friend or connection.  This content reflects the commonality of the relationship (friends, interests, events, blog posts, news, checkins, etc) and may have direct influence upon ones actions.

Ernie has a firm grasp of this theory because he may have built the most hypersocial service available today.  Ever since our conversation I haven’t stopped thinking about the topic and how agents could leverage this concept in their day to day marketing.

Making yourself hypersocial may be just as important as being hyperlocal.  Over the last few years we have been bombarded with plans on implementing hyper local marketing – “Go after niches, neighborhoods, and subdivisions in your online marketing using tools like blogs, websites, and domain names!”  Why? Because it’s basically impossible to get on the first page of Google for anything else.  An agent has an easier task trying to be number one on Google for these highly localized terms, as the large companies like Realtor.com, Zillow, Trulia and all the major brokerages have the generic real estate terms locked up. However, marketing is evolving faster than ever and “social” has taken over and kicked down doors to new ways of promoting oneself.

According to Meteor Solutions “influencers –- those who share your campaigns across their social graph –- can directly influence 40 to 60 percent of all visits to an advertising campaign page.” This is a powerful statistic and one that may prove that a hypersocial mindset will begin to play a part in your marketing plan.

I don’t enjoy talking about theory, most likely because I am not usually capable of clearly conveying my thoughts, so let me provide you with a way to execute a hypersocial strategy right now, without spending a dime. I stumbled upon an insanely simple way (as of the day I wrote this post) to appear on the first page of Google for search terms like – real estate, homes for sale, home values etc. Don’t believe me? Watch the video…. it’s all about your sphere of influence, your social reach, and the faith we have in friends, family, and acquaintances.

About Stephen Pacinelli

Put some thought into your circles!

There is a lot of buzz right now about G+. (Ironic how Buzz didn’t get this much, well, Buzz but that’s neither here nor there) Most of my non-techy friends generally come to me with technology questions and today, more often than not “What is this G+” has been the topic of conversation. These recent questions are reminiscent of those received after my mom discovered Facebook, except now it’s coming from my generation, my friends, who grew up with AIM, MySpace, and Facebook.  While reactions generally seem mixed, the second question I usually get is, “Hey bro, how should I arrange these circles?”…well that’s actually half true, I live in the midwest and most of my friends would never use the term “Bro” but again, I digress.

The organization of your circles in G+ is actually the solution to the biggest problem, in my opinion, in Facebook. How do I set security at an individual level?  Sure, it can be done on Facebook, but creating lists took a long time, and was somewhat confusing.  For example, I want my friends to see all of my awesome, crazy party photos, but I’d prefer that Mom and Aunt Tootie (yes, I really do have an Aunt Tootie) not.  I want to share a great article I found that relates to a project I am working on at work with my co-workers, but I know my friends would either hate it, or make fun of me. (or in my case, both)  Google+ solves that problem by essentially making the organization of your circles the first thing you do, and giving you the choice of what and where to share with every post.

Looking for some ideas on how to organize your circles? Below is what I think makes the most sense, and will allow you to utilize Google+ to its full advantage.  First I would define my 4 “core circles”.   These are the broad groups to which most people and information will fall into.  In addition, consider making sub circles of smaller groups with really defined interests. For example, a co-worker with whom I am working on a project, may fall into “Co-Workers” but also into “Project 123”.

CORE CIRCLES

First I would think about your friends, and if you are like me you have two levels. Those who are friends, and those who would, in a time of need, bail you out of jail.  (point of information, this is completely hypothetical, and I have yet to test the group) I would create two friend circles and define as such.

Next, you have your family. This is a great place to share vacation photos, notify your brother or sister that it is indeed their turn to host Christmas, and maybe share Grandpa’s famous potato pancake recipe.

If your using G+ for business, you will have your client circle.  This is a great place to share community information, neighborhood deals, and the occasional helpful video blog post. (I haven’t taken the time to read the terms and conditions on Google+ yet, but I’m sure it’s against them to post your listings, and even if its not, don’t do it, its annoying)

The last core circle I would create would be for co-workers. A great place to share work related information and chat about management. (Hint: If chatting about management, including said management in the circle is not recommended)

SUB CIRCLES

Hey Steve, that's a cute pink shirt!

Its important to remember that sub circle merely refers to a circle with less people and a more distinct interest. There is no defined difference in Google+ between a Core and Sub circle, that’s just an easy term I use to define them.  So if you have specific interests or projects, for example “Golfing Buddies or Project 123”, create separate circles and include the related individuals. It might even be beneficial to categorize your clients into geographical circles. This will allow you to easily supply targeted updates to a community regarding the classic question – “How’s the market?”

Finally, Google+ offers a really cool new feature called A Hangout.  This is where you can invite a group of people to a virtual chat room and several people can all talk and see each other at the same time.  You can create a hang out at any time and invite groups to join the chat. This feature works really well for sub circles, to work on projects, plan your next tee time, or work through the complexities of a deal.

So, give Google+ a try! I think you will find, that at the very least it will shape up to be a very useful business tool for sharing information and meeting up to chat about your next deal!

Guest Post by Greg Grospitch of Grospitch.com and @greggrospitch on twitter. Look for more of Greg in the future as a featured guest blogger on TechSavvyAgent.